Aside from what you spend on supplies and incidentals, which is relatively easy to track, what about the time you put in? If you are like me, you do not weigh time heavily into the equation because you are so happy while you are in creative mode, and you forget about all of the other stuff. Recently I have taken a hard look at my time management for pricing purposes and life in general.

Sad but true, time is money, even when it feels like you should be paying someone for the happiness you get from making jewelry.

Lets look at one little piece of jewelry, and all it has to go through to get into the hands, or onto ears or necks of my customer, (not exactly in order of appearance).

Little Piece of Jewelry

The research process - this is what I like to call it when I am daydreaming up new ideas.

The sketch – you can skip this part if you do not need to sketch, but I do. Here are your five minutes back if you don't.

Learning and practicing techniques, or, how the heck do I make this? This can include: time spent in trial and error, in courses, reading books, taking Ecourses, or tutorials.

Ordering or shopping for Supplies.

The actual designing proces.

Actually fabricating your piece

Modeling it for your significant other or furbaby and telling them they are not excited enough about this new creation.

Not Really Me

Photographing it.

The dreaded editing of said photographs.

Determining pricing which includes more dreaded research and, yikes, math.

The even more dreaded listing of item.

Answering stupid and not so stupid convos.

Tweeting, FB-ing, Stumbling, Deliciousing, Stylehiving, Pinteresting, Kaboodling, Blogging, making the dreaded Treasury (I make them, but I don’t like them), commenting on T's, and more.

Doing all of the above for your team members, as they have done for you.

I truly LOVE this post. Your time IS worth money. When people ask me about custom items I always mention bench time ... and tell them my skilled labor is priced at $35.00 an hour. You NEED to charge for your time; most people can't do what you do and they understand that. So don't sell yourself short!

I really appreciate Norah's sense of humor here! If that was a real number I would get calls 24-7 ... Please don't call me at midnight. Even if it IS Jewelry24Seven. Please DO SHOP for jewelry 24-7 ...

This is great Norah. I often don't charge anything for my time in a piece of jewelry (with rare exception for the really fancy stuff) and now I see how wrong I am to do that. I also think you're better than Christie Brinkley, as lovely as she is! Thanks so much for everything you do!!